Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 The Wolf Pack took both games of Saturday's doubleheader against 14th-ranked Lyon College, moving their overall record to 13-8
WESTWEGO – The Loyola Wolf Pack earned a sweep of a Top 25-ranked team this weekend, defeating No. 14 Lyon College twice Saturday to win all three games over the Scots from the weekend. The Pack started the day with a 2-0 victory before holding on to a 7-6 win in the nightcap.
Loyola (13-8) will hit the road for the first time in more than a month Tuesday, traveling to Spring Hill College for a 5 p.m. contest. The Wolf Pack is back at Segnette Field next weekend, though, hosting their Southern States Athletic Conference opener against Stillman College Friday at 6 p.m..
Game 1: Loyola 2, #14 Lyon College 0 (7)
Brenden Taravella and Wes Anderson provided an excellent 1-2 punch on the mound for the Wolf Pack in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader, combining to throw a two-hit shutout to claim the series over Lyon College. Taravella got the win after he worked the first six innings with seven strikeouts while scattering two hits and two walks, then Anderson closed the door in the seventh inning with a strikeout to earn the save.
Taravella pitched two clean innings to start his outing before allowing his first hit in the third inning. The New Orleans native had another 1-2-3 inning in the fourth, but he gave up a leadoff single in the fifth and loaded the bases in the sixth only to work his way out of the two jams with strikeouts.
Loyola scored the game's only runs in the third inning, as nine-hole hitter Brandon Duhon got things started with a leadoff walk before Payton Alexander doubled him home two batters later. Alexander made it 2-0 during the next at-bat thanks to an Allen Dennis single.
Game 2: Loyola 7, #14 Lyon College 6
The Wolf Pack jumped up big in the second game of the doubleheader, but they had to hold on as the Scots scored four runs in the final three innings. Leading 7-5 in the eighth, Wyatt Lankford entered to pitch and earned a six-out save with four strikeouts while giving up one run on one hit.
Loyola scored the game's first three runs in the second and third innings, scoring two in the second off the bat of Brandon Duhon. Payton Alexander made it 3-0 in the next frame after coming home on a Lyon College infield error.
After the Scots plated two in the top of the fourth, the Wolf Pack answered with three more runs in the bottom half of the frame to push ahead 6-2. Again, Duhon came through with a clutch at-bat, doubling to left-center field to score two of those runs, and he later scored on another infield error by Lyon College. Payton Alexander tripled to deep right-center to score Tucker Ganley in the sixth inning, extending the advantage to 7-2.
The Scots battled back with three runs in the seventh inning, cutting the Wolf Pack lead to 7-5, setting up Lankford's save attempt. Alexander Acevedo pitched two innings of relief to earn the win for the Wolf Pack. He didn't allow a hit or a walk during his outing while striking out three.
On sweeping No. 14 Lyon College:
"I think it was a good step in the right direction to finish a weekend against a solid team. We played a good game on Friday, probably our best game of the year, and we've done that a few times and haven't been able to back it up. For us to come out and play three solid games together, it's definitely a step in the right direction for us.
"We were competing. We didn't have too many guys go out there without the right intent. We had a little bit of that at the end, but overall I thought our at-bats were competitive. Everyone who went in and pitched had the right approach and that's all we ask for. Go out there, know what your job is to do, and attack it with intent and competitive spirit. I thought we did that the whole weekend."
On nine-hole hitter Brandon Duhon:
"Brandon is a huge weapon when he gets on base. He's arguably the best base runner in the country. For him to have quality at-bats, take what the pitchers are giving him and not get outside of his approach, when he does that he's really good offensively. With Brandon, really it's like getting back to the lead-off spot when he comes up, and when he's doing his job offensively like he did today, it changes the dynamic of our offense. It makes it a lot deeper."
Pack Facts
Brandon Duhon tied career-highs with three hits and four RBI in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader. He went 5-for-7 with four runs and five RBI.
Payton Alexander collected two hits in each contest Saturday to finish the weekend 7-for-12 with five RBI, six runs, a home run, a triple and a double.
Tucker Ganley had a hit in the first game and walked in the second to extend his on-base streak to 12.
Brenden Taravella's six innings in the first game of the day tied a career-high and his seven strikeouts tied his season-high, which he set last week.
Wes Anderson and Wyatt Lankford each earned their first career save in the two wins Saturday.
Loyola's three wins over No. 14 Lyon College this weekend moves it to 5-2 against Top 25 ranked teams this season.
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